Apparatus for operating upon the heel portions of shoes



y 14, 1940- F. A. EICH 2,200,386

APPARATUS FOR. OPERATING UPON THE HEEL-PORTIONS 0F SHOES Filed Nov. 18, 1938 3 Sheets-Shet 1 May 14, 1940. I 2.200.386

APPARATUS FOR OPERATING UPON THE HEEL-PORTIONS OF SHOES Filed Nov. 18, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 7? 67 7 43 A\ 1 65 Q 40 J 40 q 44 50 4 0 if} 46 5 L N 55 4 Fig.6.

-1 Fig? 54 //v l/E/V TU? 7 a 5% Patented May 14, 1940 UNITED STATES amass PATENT, OFFICE APPARATUS FOR OPERATING UPON THE HEEL PORTIONS OF SHOES Frank A. Eich, Melrose, Mass, assigncr to United Shoe Machinery Corporation,

Borough of Flemingtcn, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey,

Application November 18, 1938, Serial No. 241,211

12 Claims. (Cl. 12-42) This invention relates to an apparatus by which ma be performed operations upon the heel por- S accordance with such method, double-pointed fastenings are driven into the heel-seat of a shoe, with points projecting therefrom, after which a heel is forced upon these projecting fastenings to effect its attachment.

An object of my invention is to produce securely and conveniently either or both of the above or similar operations. To this end, a frame carries a support arranged to present the heelseat of a shoe for operations upon it,'said frame also providing an attaching seat adapted to mount alternatively a mechanism for inserting nails or other fastenings in the heel-seat and a mechanism for pressing a heel upon the inserted fastenings. The inserting mechanism may comprise a mold provided with passages and drivers movable in the passages, so the heel-seat may be formed simultaneously with the insertion of the fastenings. The heel-pressing mechanism may have a heel-engaging member, such member and the drivers of the inserting mechanism being movable by a reciprocatory actuating member movable upon the frame and common to both. The inserting mechanism and the pressing mechanism are preferably mounted in ways in the frame. There is means for securing the inserting mechanism upon the frame in an unvarying position, and the heel-pressing mechanism in different positions, the latter being in accordance with different forms of heels. The mold of the inserting mechanism, Whether it be used with or without the heel-pressing mechanism, and the shoesupport are movable relatively to cause the mold to engage and form the heel-seat, and the'drivers, which move in the mold-passages, have openings to receive the fastenings to be inserted. This permits the drivers to hold the double-pointed fastenings for their insert-ion, there belngretaining means for said fastenings, shown herein as springs carried by the drivers. To facilitate 1ocating the work correctly during initial engagement with the mold,said mold is yieldable; This may be by virtue of rods connected to the mold and movable in its suppont or carrier and springs which allow the rods to yield. In the illustrative apparatus, the mold is separably connected tothe rods and has a retaining latch movable upon one ofthese. w

One of the several possible embodiments of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a broken front elevation of my improved apparatus, with the fastening-inserting mechanism in use;

Fig. 2, a central, vertical section through the operating elements, taken in a plane from front to rear of the apparatus;

Figs. 3 and i are partial sections in a like plane, illustrating successive steps in the operation of the inserting mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a broken detail in perspective of the fastening-receiving end of one of the drivers, and

Fig. 6, a partial section in the plane of Fig. 2, with the heel-pressing mechanism in use.

At H3 appears a frame having a forwardly extending arm I2, above which is an overhanging arm 14. Through a vertical bore in the arm i2 extends a spindle i8, splinedto move longitudinally of the bore without rotation. It may be raised or lowered by a screw it! having threaded engagement with it and stepped in the arm [2 upon a bearing 20. Below the arm, a hand-wheel 22 is secured to the screwto effect its rotation. The spindle 16 at its upper extremity carries a shoe-support P, in the present instance in the form of a bed-piece 24, capableof adjustment upon the spindle and having an upwardly projecting pin 26 adapted to enter an opening in a last, as appears at L, and thus present 'a shoe S for the operations upon it. With this work-support may cooperate either of two interchangeable mechanismsA (Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4) and B (Fig. 5), which are respectively adapted to insert fastenings in the heel-seat of the supported shoe and to force upon such fastenings a heel H.

The frame-arm M has depending from its forward end a'portion' 28 in which are formed opposite horizontal ways 30, 30. These ways receive and provide an attaching seat for the complementally shaped portion of a support or carrier for the inserting mechanism A, this carrier being shown as a block 32. The block is releasably latched in a definite position in its ways by a spring-actuated plunger 34 movable horizontally through the arm-portion 28 and entering a depression in the block. Extending vertically through the block are six passages. Four of these, designated by the numeral 36, are located near the block-corners, while the others, 38, 38, are respectively near the front and rear of the center-line; In the passages-38 rods 40, 40 are movable, 'being' held against withdrawal down' wardly'by'the' heads'of screws 42,- threaded into their upper extremities and contacting with shoulders formed in the passages 38. At the bottom, each rod 40 has a head 44 received within a T-slot 46 extending from the rear close to the front of a pressure member 46, which is thus removably supported. To prevent accidental displacement of this member, one of the rods 40 has longitudinal bores of different diameters, the lower being smaller and containing a headed latching pin 50. The end of the pin projects through the bottom of the rod, entering a de-.

pression in the member 48 to retain said member upon the supporting rods. A spring 52 interposed between the head of the pin and the corresponding screw 42 threaded into the upper portion of the latch-passage, allows the latch to yield and release the member when the operator draws it forward. In the under side of this member 40 is a mold-depression 54, which may register with the heel-seat of a lasted shoe carried upon the pin 26 of the support P. When the work-supporting spindle I6 is raised by the rotation of the screw I8, the heel-seat will be forced against the mold to be formed thereby to correspond to the cup of a heel which is to be attached. In this action, the mold 48 first yields vertically against the resistance of plungers 56, of which there are four carried in the bores 36 (Fig. 1). The plungers are forced normally down against the upper surface of the mold by springs 58 contained in bores Within them, these springs abutting at their upper extremities against shoulders in the block-bores 36. Near their tops, the plungers are shouldered to engage rings 60 set in recesses about the lower portion of the bores and held in place by screws 62. In the mold are vertical passages 64 through which fasteningdrivers may operate, these passages being arranged in accordance with a particular inserting design. The manner in which the mold is mounted allows it to be changed readily for others having their driver-passages corresponding to difierent designs. The mold, as it yields against the springs 58 when the spindle I6 is raised, puts such preliminary pressure upon the heel-seat that the shoe may be adjusted readily upon its support to enable the operator to more exactly produce the desired registration between the work and the mold. Then, as the elevation of the spindle continues, the upper surface of the mold contacts with the opposed lower surface of the block 32 to cause the yield to be arrested, with the consequent application of final molding pressure. V

, Movable in passages 65 in the block and in the registering mold-passages 64 are fastening-drivers 66 held in a plate 61. This plate is received in ways 68, 68 at opposite sides of a head I0 at the bottom of an actuating spindle I2, guided to move vertically in a bore in the frame-arm I4. An axial bore through the spindle I2 is threaded to receive a screw I4 rotatable by a hand-wheel I! in bearings I6 upon the arm. In the lower end of each driver is a bore I8 (Fig. 5) adapted to receive the longer shank a of a nail N of the collar type, the flange or collar b of which rests against the end of the driver outside the bore. This leaves projecting from the driver an opposite shank c of the nail, which is shown as bifurcated. After the shank a has been inserted in the driver-bore, it is yieldably retained therein, as by a leaf-spring secured in a recess at the side of the driver by a screw 82. An angular end 84 of the spring projects through an opening in the driver-wall for engagement with the nail.

When the opposite surfaces of the mold 46 and the block 32 are in contact after the elevation of the shoe by its support, the points of the nailshanks c are in proximity to the lower openings in the mold-passages 64. Then, when the driverplate 61 is lowered as a result of the rotation of the hand-wheel I1 and screw 14, the descent of the, drivers 66' forces the shanks through the heel-seat, so their divided portions are separated and clinched upon the plate I of the last L. The extent to Which the drivers should be lowered to bring their ends to or just beyond the openings in the driver-passages into the mold-depression 54 may be determined by an index device D (Fig.

, 1). This may consist of a plate secured to thefront face of the arm-portion 28 by slot-andscrew connections 92, together with index-means 94, 96 upon the plate and the head I0, respectively. By making a proper setting of the plate andobserving the relation between the normally 'fixed index-point 94 and the movable mark 96,

the operator will be informed as to the position of the drivers in the die.

The mechanism B, by which the heel H is pressed upon the shanks a of the inserted nails, is illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings. The ways 30 of the frame-arm-portion 28, when the block 32 of the inserting mechanism A has been removed, receives the complementally shaped portion of a carrier-block I00 of mechanism B. This has adjustable upon it as to angle by a worm and worm-segmentconnection I02, the upper section I04 of a heel-tread-abutment I06, the latter being adjustable transversely of the work-support P by its mounting in ways I08 in the section I04. A screw I09 retains this adjustment. The block I00 is secured in the ways 30 by a screw IIO (Fig. 1), which will hold said block, with the abutment I06, in different positions longitudinally of the shoe S upon the support. Into the ways 68 in the reciprocatory head 10 is inserted, in place of the driver-plate 61, a plate I I2 provided with a rear depending portion 4 which passes down through a space in the block I00. A cover-plate II6 attached to the block holds the plate-portion II4 for vertical movement. At the lower extremity of the portion I I4 is pivoted upon an eccentric pin II8 a holder I20 for a rear heel-abutment in the form of a fork I22 arranged to engage the peripheral wall of the heel H. By an adjustment at I24, the space between the arms of the fork may be adjusted, while their angle longitudinally of the shoe may be varied about the pin II8. This pin, by its eccentric arrangement, may be turned to release or lock toothed engagement between the holder I20 and an opposed contact member I26 upon the portion II4. By moving the block I20 in its ways and securing it by the screw H0 and by raising or lowering the fork I 22 by. turning the hand' wheel 17, the position of the heel-abutment members I06 and I 22 may be altered for most effective engagement with heels of different pitches. The vertical position of the adjusted fork I22 maybe maintained by rotating a screw I20 (Fig. 2) threaded into the frame I0, until its head bears against the lower edge of the handwheel. The engagement of the heel-abutments may be controlled further by the devices at I02,

I09, H8 and I24. With these adjustments correctly made for the form of the heel to be attached, the operator applies openings h, which have been drilled in the heel to correspond to the inserting design, to the shanks a of the nails N in the heel-seat of the supported shoe and raises said shoe and heel by rotating the handwheel 22 to elevate the support P. This forces the shoe-parts together to effect the attachment.

In using the apparatus, the block 32 of the inserting assembly A, with the fastening-drivers 66 in the passages 65, will be placed in the frameways 30 and the driver-plate 61 in the spindleways 68 and fixed in'a definite position by the locking plunger 34. The block-passages and contained drivers will be in accordance with the inserting design which is to be employed. To the rods 40 is .applied a mold 48, which will impart the desired contour to the heel-seat of a shoe S being operated upon, the mold being releasably retained by the latch-pin 50. The shanks a of nails N will be inserted in the openings 18 of the drivers, with the protruding divided shanks preferably arranged in predetermined angular positions about their axes to give the best relation to the periphery of the heel-seat of the shoe (Fig. 1). They are thus retained by the driversprings 80. The lasted shoe is placed upon the pin 26 of the support P (Fig. 2), and the spindle l6 raised by turning the hand-wheel 22, until the heel-seat contacts with and forces up the mold against its springs 58. While under this preliminary pressure, the shoe may be adjusted by its movement with the last-bed-piece 24, until the heel-seat registers properly with the molding depression 54. Then, continued rotation of the I hand-wheel brings the upper surface of the mold and the lower surface of the block 32 together to stop the elevation of the mold and cause the application of final forming pressure to the heelseat (Fig. 3). The shanks c of the nails are now in the mold-passages 64, and upon rotating the hand-wheel 11, the spindle 12 will lower the drivers 65 to force the divided nail-shanks through the heel-seat and upset them upon the last-plate I (Fig. 4). With the nails thus in-,

serted, the operator turns the hand-wheel TI reversely to withdraw the drivers and the handwheel 22 to lower the work-support. He may then free the inserting assembly A by releasing the plunger 34 and remove said assembly from the apparatus, substituting the pressure assembly B, with its block Hill in the stationary ways 36 and its plate H2 in the reciprocatory ways 58. Correct pressure-applying and -retaining engagement of the tread-abutment I06 and the rear abutment I22 with the heel H will have been assured by the adjustment of the block in its ways under the control of the screw H0 and the independent vertical movement of the forkcarrier H2, H4 by the screw 74, together with such customary adjustments at H12, H19, H8 and 124 as may be desirable. through its cup with openings 72. corresponding to the design of the inserting nails, is applied to said nails, and the support again raised by rotating the hand-wheel 22. The heel being held against upward movement by the contacting abutments, the nails will be forced into the heelopenings. This action will be continued until the periphery of the heel-cup is firmly seated upon the lasted-over upper-material, when the support may be lowered by its hand-wheel to permit the removal of the heeled shoe.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for operating upon the heel portions of shoes, a frame, a shoe-support carried by the frame, and a reciprocatory member movable upon the frame toward and from the sup- A heel H, drilled port, said frame having a portion located in operative relation to said reciprocatory member and providing an attaching seat, said attaching seat being adapted to mount alternatively a fasteninginserting mechanism including a heel-seat-mold provided with passages and fastening-drivers movable in the passages by said reciprocatory member, or a heel-engaging mechanism having a member movable by said reciprocatory member.

2. In a machine for operating upon the heel portions of shoes, a frame, a shoe-support carried by the frame, and a reciprocatory member movable upon the 'frame toward and from the support, said frame having'a portion located in operative relation to said reciprocatory member and providing an attaching seat,said attaching seat having ways adapted to receive and mount alternatively complementally shaped portions of a fastening-inserting mechanism including a heelseat-mold provided with passages and fasteningdrivers movable in the passages by said reciprocato-ry member, or complementally shaped portions of a heel-engaging mechanism. having a member movable by said reciprocatory member.

3. In a machine for operating upon the heel portions of shoes, a frame, a shoe-support carried by the frame, and a reciprocatory membermovable upon the frame toward and from the support, said reciprocatory member having connecting means thereon, said frame having a portion located in operative, relation to said reciprocatory member and providing an attaching seat, said attaching seat being adapted to mount alternatively a fastening-inserting mechanism including a heel-seat-mold provided with passages and fastening-drivers movable in the passages by and detachably connected to said connecting means on said reciprocatory member, or a heel-engaging mechanism having a member detachably connected to said connecting means on said reciprocatory member and movable thereby.

4. In a machine for operating upon the heel portions of shoes, a shoe-support, a moldprovided with passages, the support and mold being relatively movable to cause said mold to engage and form. the heel-seat of a shoe upon the support, and drivers movable in the passages and having openings to receive the fastenings to be inserted.

5. In a machine for operating upon the heel portions of shoes, a shoe-support, a mold provided with passages, the support and mold being relatively movable to cause said mold to engage and form the heel-seat of a shoe upon the support, drivers movable in the passages andhaving openings to receive the fastenings to be inserted, and. springs carried by the drivers and contacting with the fastenings in the openings.

6. In a machine for operating upon the heel portions of shoes, 2. shoe-support, a mold provided with passages, the support and mold being relatively movable to cause said mold to engage. and form. the heel-seat of a shoe upon the support, means arranged to permit the mold to relatively to establish forming engagement lee-- tween the mold and the heel-seat of a supported shoe, and fastening-drivers movable in the moldpassages.

8. In a machine for operating upon the heel portions of shoes, a mold support, a mold provided with driver-passages, rods connected to the mold and movable in the support, springs permitting the rods to yield upon the support, a shoesupport, means arranged to move the shoe-support to establish engagement between the heelseat of a supported shoe and the mold, and fastening-drivers movable in the mold-passages.

9. In a machine for operating upon the heel portions of shoes, a mold-support, a mold provided with driver-passages, rods connected to the a mold and movable in the support, springs permitting the rods to yield upon the support, a shoesupport, means arranged to move the shoe-support to establish engagement between the heelseat of a supported shoe and the mold, fastening-drivers movable in the mold-passages, and means for retaining the fastenings in engagement with the drivers.

10. In a machine for operating upon the heel portions of shoes, a frame, a shoe-support guided thereon, means arranged to raise and lower the support, a carrier mounted upon the frame and provided with passages, a heel-seat-engaging member mounted upon the carrier and having passages alined with the carrier-passages, an actuating member movable in the frame, and a driver-plate reciprocated by the actuating member andhaving drivers movable in the passages of the carrier and in the engaging member.

11. In a machine for operating upon the heel portions of shoesfa frame, a shoe-support guided thereon, means arranged to raise and lower the 5 support, a carrier mounted upon the frame and provided with passages, a heel-seat-mold guidec to move upon the carrier with passages alined with the carrier-passages, springs interposed between the mold and the carrier, an actuating member/.

movable in the frame, and a driver-plate reciprocated by the actuating member and having drivers movable in the passages of the carrier and in the heel-seat-mold.

12. In a machine for operating upon the heel portions of shoes, a frame, a shoe-support guided thereon, means arranged to raise and lower the support, a carrier mounted upon the frame and provided with passages, rods guided in the carrier, a heel-seat-mold separably mounted upon them) of the carrier and in the heel-seat- 

